


Five Times The Batclan disliked the Drake Family

by Star_Fata



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU - Comicverse, Robin (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-19
Updated: 2013-02-19
Packaged: 2017-11-29 20:52:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/691325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Fata/pseuds/Star_Fata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times the various Batfamily members found reason to dislike Tim's parents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Barbara

Barbara Gordon sighed in relief as she sunk down into her chair. She’d been up all night with a gang fight that had ended up setting an apartment block on fire. There weren’t any civilian casualties, but it had definitely taken a lot out of her.

She’d managed to get home one hour before she had to get up for work. This was not going to be a good day.

“Excuse me Miss Gordon?” A familiar voice asked.

Barbara smiled involuntarily. “Yes Tim?”

The boy in front of the counter was short for his age, and supported himself on said counter with his forearms. His eyes were a piercing blue, and his short hair was black. His skin was pale, and as usual he had a camera around his neck. He’d been a regular at the library since before Barbara had started working there.

“I was wondering if you could get the book I want. If it’s not too much trouble, of course.” Tim blushed. Barbara barely resisted the urge to ruffle his hair.

“Sure thing. What is it?” Barbara asked.

“An introduction to Criminology by W. Quigley.” Tim mumbled. “I can’t reach it.”

Any other librarian would have blinked, laughed, and sent him to the children’s section. Barbara had had a debate with Tim over the ethics of capital punishment, the costumes of various superheroes/villains and what they might show regarding their personalities, and whether the Cray’s latest computer design was more or less efficient than the same from Hallmetz. She just nodded and followed Tim to where the book was.

Tim was a smart kid, and she monitored his reading habits as best as she could. If they became disturbing, (more so than they already were, of course) then she’d notify... someone.

“Do your parents know where you are?” She asked, suddenly realizing that she’d never seen Tim with an adult in all the years she’d known the ten year old.

Tim shook his head. “They’re at a dig in Malaysia. Then they’re going to Tokyo for business.” He explained. “Mrs Mac doesn’t mind what I do so long as I check in at lunch time.”

Barbara smiled, and asked him where he was going for lunch

“There’s a Winn Dixie down the street. I was planning on getting a sandwich there.” He replied.

“Your plans have changed.” Barbara announced impulsively. “Tell me when you’re ready to have lunch and we’ll go to the Italian place.”

Tim stared at her in shock. “Really?”

“Really.” Barbara assured him.

At the small smile that lit up his face, Barbara hoped that she never met his parents. Her father wouldn’t be pleased if she lost her job for attacking a member of the public, no matter how deserving.


	2. Bruce

Bruce Wayne adjusted his tie absentmindedly, as he laughed at the nonsense the pretty debutante was spewing at him. Dear god he hated these things. There were times he wondered if ‘Brucie Wayne’ was really worth enough to go through these things.

He looked around for his ward, and saw a small black head resting on the sofa arm.

Too small to be Dick, but he had to check. Excusing himself from the deb (Nikola, he believed), he moved over.

The boy couldn’t have been more than seven at the very most. He clutched the camera around his neck the way that other children would clutch at a parent or beloved toy.

“Oh. Sorry about that.” A voice apologised, embarrassed. “I didn’t think he’d fall asleep.”

Bruce turned to see a red head, Janet Drake if he remembered correctly. “When did you arrive?” He asked quietly, so as not to disturb the boy.

“Seven or so.” Janet laughed loudly, waving her hand, causing the boy to stir. “He’s usually so good at these things.”

Bruce glanced at the clock. It was half past one. “He could sleep in Dick’s room for tonight.” He offered. “Save you waking him.”

Janet looked at him in shock, and Bruce reminded himself that Brucie was a playboy and a ditz, but he was also Dick’s guardian. It wasn’t completely out of character to act fatherly on occasion.

“That’s not necessary Mr Wayne.” She waved off his offer. “We just live next door, he can walk.”

She reached out to wake the boy, when Bruce clasped her hand gently. “If he’s tired enough to fall asleep at a party, he’s too tired to walk home, no matter how close you live.” He said, firmly. Too firmly for Bruce Wayne, but no one who was listening would connect him to Batman. “You can collect him in the morning.”

Janet shrugged. “If you insist.” She turned away, leaving him to pick up her son.

As Bruce carried the boy to Dick’s room, he found himself wondering why people had children, if they weren’t prepared to look after them properly.

And then he found himself hoping that one day, Batman would need to visit the Drakes.


	3. Alfred

Alfred frowned at the boy at the door. If he was correct, it was Timothy Drake, who lived next door.

“Can I please use your bathroom?” The boy asked, lips chattering. “The heating’s broken in my house.”

Alfred flinched. Considering how cold it was outside, and how well stone walls could conduct the cold...

“Come in Master Drake.” Alfred offered. “If you’ll follow me, there’s a bathroom this way.”

“Thank you Mister Pennyworth.” Tim flashed a grateful smile at the butler, practically running into the manor.

Alfred made a note of the respectful use of his surname. Most of the ‘idle rich’, as Master Bruce referred to them as, didn’t bother to remember the name of the ‘help’. Children were typically even less inclined to do so.

A short time later, Tim stepped out of the bathroom, clean and fully dressed. “Thank you sir.” He said again. “I’m going to be staying with a friend until the heating’s fixed, so this won’t happen again.”

“Won’t the repair man arrive soon?” Alfred asked, curiously. Repairmen tended to arrive very quickly for the right amount of cash.

“My parents need to call him.” Tim sighed. “And they don’t even have a booking at the hotel they said they’d be at.”

Alfred wonders why the boy is taking this so well. He also wonders what kind of parents lie to their children about something as important as where they’ll be.

He thinks he doesn’t want to know, but as Tim thanks him for a third time before leaving the house, he is forced to recognise that two apparently neglectful people have produced an extraordinary young man.


	4. Jason

Jason knows he’s the ‘second-best’ Robin. And although he’s Bruce’s son, he knows that Dick’s better at being the Wayne heir than he’ll ever be. But Jason figures, he’s strong in his own way. He can totally deal with it. After all, being a rich kid has got to be easier than being a street brat, right?

It’s not until he meets his new ‘next-door’ neighbour that he realizes that being rich doesn’t mean your life is any good. It should have clicked when he met Bruce, but it takes meeting the Drakes for that fact to make it through his head. Seeing the startled look in Tim’s eyes when his mother laid a hand on his shoulder, or the slight jump when his father jokingly ruffled his hair... The kid wasn’t used to human touch. Judging by how his parent’s acted, they hadn’t been around to either notice or change this.

He wishes that being a shit parent was a crime. That way, Robin could help.


	5. Dick

Dick knows he failed at being Jason’s brother. And it occurs to him, that he’s already spent more time with Tim in the two months since he became Robin than he did in the first four months Jason wore the suit.

And the detective in him is wondering where the parents are in this picture. Whenever Tim needed to give an excuse, it was always to Mrs Mac.

“So.” Dick began, flipping over Tim’s chair. He barely jumped. “How’s Ives?”

Tim rolled his eyes and turned back to his files. “Fine. He had a date yesterday, but it didn’t go well. Turns out her brother doesn’t like any boys within thirty feet of her.”

Dick smirked at the image. “Ariana?” He asked.

“Her uncle’s sending her to private school.” Tim answered. “For some reason, she blames me.”

Dick barely suppressed a laugh at Tim’s wry tone. “Mrs Mac?”

“Baking spree.” Tim sighed. “I’m expecting a sugar shortage to be announced any day now.”

“So that’s where you were getting those!” Dick exclaimed. Red Tornado had called the Bat Cave to ask why Robin insisted on bringing cookies to the Young Justice Cave, seeing as Impulse and Superboy had no clue. Red Tornado also told the entire Justice League of Robin’s first prank, giving an entire bag to Bart at the end of the weekend ‘For Max and Helen’.

“Where else?” Tim smirked. “You didn’t think I made them, did you?”

Dick couldn’t have suppressed the laugh at the image that came into his head if the world had depended on it. “Robin the Baker.” He snorted, sharing the joke.

Tim’s lips twitched, as he thought of how he’d look in the Robin costume, a chef hat and an apron. “Impulse and Superboy must never know!” He choked out. “They’d actually find a way to do it!”

“How are those two anyway?” Dick asked, genuinely curious. Robin’s best friends were either going to be a partnership like Blue Beetle and Booster Gold while dragging poor Robin along with them, or the three would be the next ‘Trinity’. He honestly had no idea which he was rooting for.

“Superboy’s mooning over Tana.” Tim grinned. “Pun not intended. Impulse is upset about his mice running away, but I’m not sure why. Helen said they were always trying to escape, and that they freaked her out.”

Dick nodded, not really understanding about the mice but hey! “How are your parents?” He asked, careful to keep the same tone of voice he had earlier.

“Just checked in to the hotel in Hawaii. Ironically, they’re actually there for a conference. I kinda hope they run into Superboy, just to hear his opinion of business conferences in Hawaii.” Tim’s smile faded suddenly, as soon as he began speaking.

Dick decided to check to see if this was usual for Tim. If he found what he was expecting... Well. He really hoped these suspicions were incorrect, because there was nothing he could do if he was right.


End file.
